Configure your parking policy
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      Visitor Portal Outlook Add-in

      Seamlessly integrate visitor parking invitations into Your Outlook meeting events - Directly from Your calendar. 

      The Izix Outlook Add-in allows users to seamlessly integrate visitor parking invitations into their Outlook meeting events. For more information on how the Visitor Portal works please visit take a look at this article.

      Contents:

      1. Purpose of the add-in
      2. Prerequisites
      3. Installation
      4. Usage and best practices

      1. Purpose of the add-in

      Simplify the way you welcome guests by integrating parking reservations into your Outlook meeting invites. With the Izix Visitor Portal Outlook Add-in, your visitors receive a direct link to reserve their parking spot—no extra steps needed from the host.

      Thanks to your pre-set configurations, Izix automatically handles the visitor flow: guests are invited to reserve parking for the day of their meeting, ensuring a smooth arrival experience.

      By using the Outlook add-in, there's no need to send a separate invitation through the Izix platform—the link embedded in the calendar invite replaces that step, streamlining your process even further.

      2. Prerequisites

      To use the Izix Outlook Add-in:

      The Add-in currently supports only one Visitor Portal per organisation. If multiple portals exist and/or the user part of multiple organisations, the add-in will always use the first portal and organisation configured.

      By default, the Visitor Portal invitation created by the Outlook add-in permits booking a parking spot solely for the date and time specified in the calendar event. The user experience may vary based on how the Visitor Portal is configured:

      Configuration Visitor Portal Impact Details
      By date No impact The default add-in functionality overrules this setting.
      By invitation validity Medium The link will remain valid only for the days specified in the Visitor Portal configuration, starting from the day the Outlook calendar invite is sent. If no specific duration is set, the link will have no expiration.
      By single use Low The link is valid for each invited attendee, but it will become inactive for that attendee after they have made their first booking, if this setting is enabled.
      Number of spots a visitor can book at once - single vs multiple Medium The number of parking spots that attendees can reserve using the booking link is determined by the settings defined in the Visitor Portal.
      Time selection options - Time picker, predefined slots or both High By default, the add-in does not account for predefined timeslots, meaning visitors will be unable to use a time picker, even if it is enabled in the Visitor Portal settings. If there is a discrepancy between the available parking schedule of the Access Policy and the date or time of the calendar event—such as when the Access Policy allows afternoon bookings and the meeting is set for the morning—the Visitor Portal will display a message indicating “no available spot”.

      Recommended Setup

      For a smooth user experience, the following setup is recommended:

      • Date restriction: Not applicable.
      • Invitation validity: Set to a reasonable delay (2-3 months).
      • By single use: In order to keep flexibility (e.g. attendees change), this functionality should be disabled. The default date restriction of the addin reduces the risk of abuse.
      • Number of spots booking: To maintain flexibility (e.g. assistant booking for multiple visitors) enable multiple spots booking.
      • Time selection options: Avoid potential mismatches by only enabling the "time picker" option. The Visitor Portal will not display pre-defined timeslots no matter the setting.

      3. Installation

      Please go to the Microsoft AppSource page and click on "Get it now" and follow the installation steps. You may be prompted to log in to Outlook again.

      Platform Compatibility:

      • Supported on: Outlook Web and Outlook Desktop 
      • Not supported on: Outlook Mobile 
      The add-in supports: 
      •  English
      •  French 
      •  Dutch 

      If Outlook is set to one of these languages, all labels and messages will display accordingly. If the language isn't supported, the add-in defaults to the Visitor Portal's base language.

      4. Usage and best practices

      Using the Add-in:

      1. Open your Outlook Calendar.
      2. Use the expanded view to create a meeting (either click New Event or expand the small popup with the arrow button).new-event-button-1expand-little-event

      3. Create a real meeting invitation by adding at least one attendee. Without this, Outlook won’t register the event properly.

      4. Changing the calendar event date updates the Visitor Portal invite link. 
      5. Find the add-in under the three-dot menu in the meeting popup. 
        outlook-addin-location

      6. Click the Izix Visitor Parking add-in. After a short loading period, a visitor portal link will be inserted into the meeting body.

      7. Send the invite. The recipient can click the link to access a pre-filled Visitor Portal reservation form for the selected date.

      • You can add the attendee either before or after clicking on the add-in, but at least one must be added before sending the meeting.
      • If a visitor has already used a previous link and the calendar event's date/time is changed, they must cancel and rebook. The Visitor Portal link will update with the correct timing.